RB 82

Yeorok’s bed was large enough for several people to lie on. As promised to Eunho, he lay down beside him to sleep.

“……”

Yeorok propped his head on his arm and quietly watched the man beside him. Sim Eunho slept as if he were dead. He had always been a calm sleeper. Even his breathing was so small that it almost seemed he might really be dead.

Yeorok pulled him close. Though the man himself was lost in dreams, a promise was a promise, so he carried it out faithfully.

Sharing a bed with someone was not a familiar act for Yeorok either. He had been born with a sensitive nature, and he almost never shared his sleeping space with anyone.

Sim Eunho was his only exception. Beside him, Yeorok didn’t feel uncomfortable. Considering they had already shared even each other’s bodily fluids, it would be strange to call it awkward now. He had never once spent the night together with anyone among the fleeting partners he had known before.

Yeorok pushed away his cluttered thoughts and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to ruin the rare calm he felt that night by overthinking. Listening to the quiet rhythm of breathing, he thought he might actually fall asleep easily.

He sensed something strange a little past three in the morning.

Yeorok woke up to the sound of groaning. The source came from right beside him. At some point, Sim Eunho had slipped from his arms and turned to the other side. Curled up tightly without a blanket, his back looked pitiful.

“Sim Eunho-ssi.”

Thinking it might be a nightmare, Yeorok reached out to him. As he grasped his shoulder and shook him, his palm felt intense heat.

Yeorok froze. Then he turned the shrunken body onto its back. Every place he touched burned like fire. Even the T-shirt he wore was damp with cold sweat.

“Sim Eunho-ssi, wake up.”

Yeorok patted his cheek. Even with several slaps, Eunho didn’t open his eyes. Instead, his body went limp. His head drooped weakly, and Yeorok’s heart sank at the sight.

Though Eunho had tried to hide it, his nerves had been wound tight for days because of the company’s anniversary event. When that tension disappeared, his body broke down with it and it violently backlashed.

Yeorok sighed and stepped out of the bedroom. After a while, he returned with lukewarm water, a thermometer, and the household medicine kit.

Eunho’s temperature had already reached thirty-nine degrees. As Yeorok looked at the thermometer, a deep line formed between his brows.

“Sim Eunho.”

He called again, but Eunho showed no sign of waking. His breathing rasped dry and hot, and even his lips had cracked from thirst. In this state, he couldn’t even swallow medicine.

Yeorok lifted Eunho’s head to give him water. He placed the cup against his lips and poured slowly, but the water flowed back out, soaking his chin and shirt.

“You’re troublesome.”

Sim Eunho, who wouldn’t follow even simple care, was a nuisance. Yeorok had never been the type to nurse or fuss over sick people. But he couldn’t walk away. Seeing Eunho lying helpless made him stay beside him.

“…Chairman.”

Suddenly, Eunho murmured, his voice was so weak it sounded like a groan, but Yeorok noticed and bent closer.

“Are you awake?”

“……”

“Sim Eunho, can you hear me?”

Eunho was lost in fever, unable to open his eyes. Yet even in that state, he kept calling Yeorok’s name. It was meaningless delirium, but the fact that, in such a condition, the one he called wasn’t family but Yeorok left Yeorok speechless.

He exhaled a weary breath and sat down on the bed. His gaze lingered on Eunho’s flushed face as he thought of what to do next.

Then he reached for his phone and scrolled through his contacts. It would have been easy to hand this off to Hong Namyeong or Seo Taehwa, but he chose to handle it himself.

“It’s me. I know it’s late, but come by for a bit.”

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After giving the shot, Ahn Jaehwan stood and adjusted the clamp on the IV line carefully. Only after controlling the drip speed did he let out a breath.

“The fever reducer’s in. Let’s watch him for a day first.”

Ahn Jaehwan’s hair was a mess from having been dragged out of bed. The sudden call had wiped away any trace of sleep.

He quietly looked at the two. Now that his job was done, he couldn’t stop wondering why Sim Eunho was sleeping in Choi Yeorok’s bed, covered in traces that screamed of sex.

He hesitated, then asked cautiously.

“This situation… even if I ask, you won’t explain, right?”

“Yeah.”

Yeorok answered curtly. The look he gave warned him not to pry further.

Ahn Jaehwan closed his eyes and opened them again, he was feeling dizzy. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened, so he felt no need to take offense. Yeorok never offered explanations. Buy the fact that he had called before Eunho’s condition worsened was something to be grateful for.

“Yeah, well… I wasn’t expecting much. Anyway, keep an eye on him.”

After Ahn Jaehwan left, Yeorok pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. It was already five thirty in the morning. He could only feel absurd at the thought of having stayed awake all night unexpectedly.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. His eyes on Eunho were cool, yet they never drifted away.

“Sim Eunho-ssi really needs a lot of care.”

Sim Eunho was full of unpredictable elements. Every plan Yeorok made for him often went astray, and even when Eunho followed along well, he always caused some unexpected disruption.

For someone like Yeorok, who lived with strict order and precision, it was far from welcome. An unpredictable life itself was stress.

Normally, he would have been irritated to his limit, yet he felt oddly calm. Though Eunho was a troublesome presence, Yeorok couldn’t bring himself to resent him. At times, he even found himself wanting to give something back, to reward him somehow.

Maybe it was because Eunho’s worth outweighed the stress he brought. The advantages he carried were enough for Yeorok to accept the inconvenience willingly.

Yeorok always had a blade-like sense of judgment in any situation. Each time he faced a decision, he weighed the options, and every time the scale tipped toward Sim Eunho.

Maybe he needed to keep some distance. Lately, he had let him too close, and his sense of reason had started to dull. At some point, he found himself seeking Sim Eunho first, and whenever their bare skin met, he was releasing something beyond desire.

Yeorok exhaled a hot breath and tilted his head back.

“……”

He knew it was a problem, so making a decision was natural. Yet, for some reason, hardening his heart was not easy.

“This is difficult.”

The strange, unfamiliar feeling made him let out a small laugh.

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Eunho regained consciousness only in the morning. His body felt heavy as stone, and when he tried to rise his limbs were limp.

He barely managed to sit up. He was alone in Yeorok’s unfamiliar bedroom. Even while sick, he found himself wanting to look around the place. His fevered mind tried to take in every detail of the sight before him.

Suddenly, a sound came from across the room. Yeorok stepped out of the dressing room dressed in a suit.

“You’re awake?”

“…Yes.”

His voice sounded brittle. While Eunho fumbled at his neck, Yeorok came close and placed his hand on Eunho’s forehead.

“Your fever’s not going down.”

Then came the thermometer. When the beeping sound ended and the number showed on the display, Yeorok clicked his tongue. Thirty-eight degrees. The fever reducer Ahn Jaehwan had given the night before had done little.

“You have a fever with body aches, so rest properly.”

Yeorok set down the thermometer and spoke in a calm tone. As he looked ready to leave, Eunho unconsciously grabbed the hem of his jacket.

“…Where are you going?”

“I have a breakfast meeting.”

“Oh.”

His fingers holding the fabric slipped away weakly. Yeorok looked down at the hand left alone on the bed and said,

“I’ll tell Seo Taehwa to check in. Rest here and move to the annex when you feel better.”

“Chairman.”

Eunho called in a drained voice.

“Did you sleep with me last night?”

“Yes. You probably don’t remember, Sim Eunho-ssi.”

“……”

“What does it matter? You have a high fever, so just lie down and rest.”

His tone sounded more like a reprimand than concern. Eunho only nodded in reply.

Even after Yeorok left the room, he couldn’t relax. He was miserable that he had fallen asleep like that. They could have slept together again, but he had missed that chance because of a fever. The thought made him feel desperate.

Maybe he should just be content that he got to use Yeorok’s bed at all. Maybe it was the fever, but a wave of sadness filled him. Eunho bent his knees and pressed his hot forehead against his forearm.

Then footsteps sounded. Yeorok had returned. He took hold of Eunho’s chin. His face looked harsher than usual.

“I told you to lie down. Why don’t you listen?”

“……”

Eunho’s eyes still looked sorrowful. Yeorok, quick to notice, understood without explanation. He let out a sigh that sounded like resignation and climbed onto the bed. He forced Eunho to lie down and held him tightly in his arms.

“…Chairman, didn’t you say you had a breakfast meeting?”

“Be quiet and sleep. I’m already annoyed enough because you keep ruining my plans.”

Yeorok wrapped an arm around the back of Eunho’s head. For someone who claimed to be irritated, his actions were gentle.

Eunho carefully wrapped his arms around Yeorok’s waist. Because he was sick, he couldn’t help but act spoiled. He was old enough to know better and knew how busy Yeorok was, but he held onto him anyway.

“Thank you for keeping your promise.”

Eunho spoke in a whisper. Yeorok didn’t answer. He only patted his back. The soothing motion made Eunho’s eyelids grow heavy, and he soon fell asleep.

Thirty minutes later, Secretary Hong entered the room and saw them. He had come rushing after Yeorok called to cancel the breakfast appointment.

“You’re really not going?”

“He won’t let go.”

Yeorok motioned with his eyes. Eunho was asleep, clutching his tie tightly in his hand. Secretary Hong let out a short, helpless breath. He could’ve easily untied it, that was all.

But Yeorok didn’t move. Instead, he gave a brazen look that said, Is there a problem?

Secretary Hong rubbed his face with his palm and then erased every trace of expression.

“Are you canceling the whole day’s schedule?”

“Just the breakfast. Keep the two o’clock meeting.”

Deciding to rest properly, Yeorok set his phone alarm and lay down. He didn’t care that his styled hair and clothes were getting ruined.

Without a word, Secretary Hong quietly closed the door. His head, however, remained full of questions.

Choi Yeorok had always been a man who separated public and private matters clearly. His decisions were always based on benefit first. That was why this one made no sense.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook it off. It was an impossible and unacceptable idea.